In front of the castle there is a monument commemorating a Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald.

Alright, enough of history lessons. The river Ness will take us to the lake of the same name. A "loch" is a Scottish name for fjord-type lakes, typically long and deep.

We will start our visit to Loch Ness by having a look at the Urquhart Castle.

The castle has been standing in this place for half a millennium, passing from hands to hands and being raided regularly. As a result, not much has remained of its past glory.

Let's walk up the stairs and try to imagine what it felt like to live in a place with a view like this.

On the right hand side - Inverness.

On the left hand side - the water and the mountains.

The most important part of any visit to Loch Ness is of course a cruise on the lake, in the quest to catch (at least on a picture) the legendary Monster. The water is not very inviting - it is clean but surprisingly dark.

From water side, the Urquhart Castle seems even more ruined.

Probably you will not be surprised that I did not meet Nessie during our cruise. I am sure that she has never planned to become a celebrity and now she is hiding well. I could only pass my greetings to her statue next to the visitors center.

I propose we end this long and tiring day with a baked potato, accompanied by coleslaw. Warm, tasty and as Scottish as Nessie herself.